Look into the eyes of your king

Solemnity of Jesus Christ King of the Universe Sunday November 29, 2023 When I think of Kings and Queens, I usually think of rich people who live in castles and palaces. People who have servants at their beck and call and basically do nothing all day. Today we celebrate the Feast of THE King and Jesus of course gives us a very different image. In our first reading from Ezekiel the image of King is one of shepherd, one who personally takes care of the sheep, whose primary concern is the sick and the lame. The Good Shepherd promises that he himself will take care of us, his sheep. The theme is continued in the Psalm, Psalm 23 undoubtedly the best know psalm. The good shepherd promises to lead us to restful waters, he will spread a lavish table before us and anoint us with oil. The second reading from Paul’s I letter to the Corinthians perhaps is a little more in keeping with the image of a worldly king. One who will destroy his enemies, and all will be subjected to him. The gospel begins with Jesus’ sitting on his glorious throne but then he divides his subjects into the sheep and the goats; the good and the bad; the left and the right; those who helped the hungry, thirsty, poor, immigrant, sick and in prison; and those who didn’t help those in need. The gospel states that what the Good King did in the first reading and the psalm we are expected to continue. It isn’t any more about us being take care of by the King; rather it is about us taking care of each other. Jesus proclaims quite loudly that he is the king, and he tells us where we will be able to find him. Not in palaces or castles. Not riding in carriages or expensive cars. Not bedecked with fine clothes and jewels. No Jesus as king is found in the hungry; thirsty; poor; sick, the immigrant; the sick and in prison. Jesus doesn’t just say that we have to care for the poor, he says that if we want to worship our King, we will find him in those most in need in society today. Jesus is found in the immigrants riding the bestia through our country. Jesus is found in the poor of Acapulco who have lost everything. Jesus is found in the indigenous who continue to suffer abuse and discrimination. Jesus is found in the poor of our city who barely make enough to pay the rent and put food on the table for their children. Jesus is in the homeless who sleep on our streets and beg for scraps from our table. Jesus is our King, and he certainly demands a great deal from us his subjects. To be worthy members of the Jesus’ reign we certainly have a lot of work to do. It is a wonderful and concrete sign of the Gospel our concern for the needy of Acapulco. If you didn’t have a chance to see the video on our Facebook page, make sure you look at it. It touches one’s heart to see the VW bocho filled with food and water and clothing from the people of our church and then being unloaded in the streets of Acapulco. Even though it is a month since Hurricane Otis passed that many people continue to suffer and to be in need in Acapulco and we continue to collect food and clothing and water to send there but the truth is we can’t solve all the problems of the people in Acapulco. The immigrants passing through the country, we also can’t welcome them all. We also can’t clothe all of the naked or feed all of the hungry. But we can feed some people, we can clothe some naked, welcome some immigrants. I would like to point out to you something important in the reading. When Jesus speaks of the immigrants what does he say? “Welcome them!” the sick? “Care for them!” those in prison, “Visit them!” He doesn’t say provide for all of the immigrants needs, he doesn’t say cure the sick, he doesn’t say free the prisons. I think Jesus realizes that we have limited resources. But in a word what Jesus is asking of us is to recognize his presence in one another. To have a King means you have to worship him. The other day I went to the Museum of Anthropology, and I learned that in the time of the Aztec Kings, you couldn’t look them the Kings in their eyes and if you did you would be slain on the spot. Well, we can look into the eyes of our King, in fact we can, the next time you see a beggar on the street or someone in need, look into their eyes and know that you are looking into the eyes of Jesus himself.